"Pikachu, come in. Please respond."
In a corner of Bronze City, two figures in diving suits swam slowly.
One of them, a shapely woman, spoke over the channel.
"Pikachu here. Communications are clear." The other immediately replied. Through the glow of the fluorescent lamp and his diving mask, a Pikachu plastic mask could vaguely be seen.
Jiu De Ma Yi shot a sidelong glance at this somewhat unhinged man, unable to quite believe it.
The person before her was actually Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire her boss had mentioned? Although her boss had used the term "Human Form," Jiu De Ma Yi still felt her illusions shattering.
Even if a Dragon King was not the type to look down on the world with an arrogant face, he should at least have the domineering CEO vibe of, "If she dies, I'll make all of you pay with your lives!" What the hell was this unreliable-looking "Pikachu"?
But it was not a big problem. She only needed to follow her boss's instructions and lead him to the White Rabbit.
The man beside her clearly had not thought that much about it. Beneath his mask, his face even carried a hint of delighted smugness.
His name was Ronald Tang, a hunter on the Hunter Website. Because of a certain Aversion Physique he had possessed since childhood, he often took on strange and sinister jobs to cover his living expenses. He was the kind of professional who could live off one job for an entire year, and if he was frugal enough, he could even spare some cash to top up a few little games for entertainment.
Today, his luck had exploded. He had found this underwater treasure-stealing job, and once he finished it, he would have enough money to rest for another half year.
"Boom!!!" A series of tremendous sounds came through the water. Jiu De Ma Yi calculated the timing and connected Potato Chip to the channel.
"Time to move. The White Rabbit and the young master seem to have started tearing the place apart." The moment Potato Chip entered the channel, she began issuing orders, accompanied by faint chewing and crunching sounds.
"Got it." Jiu De Ma Yi rolled her eyes speechlessly. "You're eating quite happily while I'm soaking in freezing water down here."
"Pikachu, move out."
It was also a two-person team, one man and one woman. The difference was that their diving suits bore gilded patterns of the Half-Rotten World Tree, the emblem of Kassel School.
Ye Sheng lay limply in Jiu De Aji's arms, his face bluish and his lips pale. Only his alert eyes remained, as though he were communicating with some invisible presence.
In truth, he was. It was precisely because his Words of Power · Snake continuously emitted bioelectricity that he could remain in contact with the Moniyahe on the surface after the cable had been severed.
Likewise, using Words of Power · Snake weakened the user's bodily functions. In the freezing waters at the bottom of the Three Gorges, the consequence was that his body kept losing heat, and he could only rely on Aji's warm body beside him to keep himself alive.
"Calling Agent Ye Sheng. Report remaining oxygen." A message came over the radio waves.
Ye Sheng struggled to glance at his wristwatch. Fifteen percent and twenty percent. Not much remained. "Reporting. I have fifteen percent oxygen remaining. Agent Jiu De Aji has twenty percent. We can't hold out much longer."
At the same time, perhaps it was an auditory hallucination, but he kept feeling as though something was pounding against the massive bronze wall, producing thunderous roars.
"Rescue personnel will arrive soon. Please hold on. Reduce your breathing rate. If necessary, maintain minimum communication efficiency." The Moniyahe sent another instruction.
Just then, the other side's voice suddenly carried a trace of terror. "No, something's wrong! Why is the radar showing another heartbeat? It's right beside you, and the readings are extremely intense!"
"Agent Ye Sheng, leave that area immediately!"
In fact, there was no need for them to say it. Ye Sheng had already seen it.
They were eyes—eyes slowly opening wider in the dark water. Golden Eyes as bright as gas lamps, each as tall as a person!
At that moment, Ye Sheng could feel the girl holding him trembling lightly. Even he himself, under this absolute bloodline suppression, was unable to react in any way.
Well versed in theories of Dragon Bloodline, Ye Sheng almost instinctively recalled what the professor had taught in class.
This was a Next Generation Species guarding the tomb, a Next Generation Species that had slept for who knew how long before being awakened today by the changes in Bronze City.
Almost instinctively, Ye Sheng squeezed out every last bit of strength in his body and shoved Jiu De Aji, who had been holding him, away. "Run!"
In the reflection of Jiu De Aji's despairing eyes, a huge, razor-sharp dragon claw stabbed toward Ye Sheng's back.
It seemed as though this instant would last forever.
At the critical moment, the roaring that had constantly surrounded them became tangible. The incomparably thick bronze wall beside them suddenly exploded open, and bubbles surged out in a flood.
Faster than the bubbles was a pink figure.
"That's why melodramatic tragic romance plots should disappear in real life!"
Along with Lu Mingfei's furious roar, the sound of metal crashing against metal exploded beside them.
Then a huge hollow forced the river water aside before gradually filling back in.
The attacking Next Generation Species dragon attendant was also knocked backward.
"Hiss..." Lu Mingfei rubbed his aching wrist, surprise in his eyes.
This was the first time he had felt pain since transforming, and also the first time someone—no, a dragon—had taken one of his blows without a scratch.
"Damn, this one's tough." Lu Mingfei turned and shouted at the masked man in the yellow dress. "No need to talk about Jianghu rules with an animal like this. Let's take him together!"
For some reason, Lu Mingfei could still speak normally underwater.
Caesar was rather speechless, but he could still tell how troublesome this Next Generation Species was. He stepped through the water to Lu Mingfei's side and assumed a fighting stance.
According to the academy's calculations, an ordinary Next Generation Species should not have been capable of taking a Magical Girl's full-force strike without injury!
Meanwhile, Ye Sheng, supported by Aji, was completely dumbfounded.
"Have I used up too much stamina and started hallucinating? Or is this some fantasy before death?"
"..." Aji was silent for a moment over the channel as well. "Probably not, because I saw them too."
"Two perverts dressed as Magical Girls?" Ye Sheng asked again in disbelief.
"Mm, and they're the classic style from where we come from," Jiu De Aji added. It was obvious from her name where her hometown was.
When she had been young, she too had dreamed that one day she could become a Magical Girl and save the world.
Today, the bullet fired in childhood struck her squarely between the brows.
"Hey! Stop talking shit about me behind my back. I can hear you." The word "pervert" stabbed at Lu Mingfei's self-esteem. "Hurry up and hook on the cables. They'll pull you back."
For once, Caesar felt that he agreed with Lu Mingfei.
Before his words had even faded, the Next Generation Species dragon attendant let out another roar and shot toward them like a torpedo.
Fortunately, Caesar had been keeping an eye on it. He clamped both hands around the dragon attendant's gaping jaws and was shoved back more than thirty meters before barely managing to stop.
Underwater combat truly was not humanity's forte. Their physical structure simply gave them no advantage in that regard, and that weakness naturally carried over to Magical Girls.
Otherwise, with their supersonic movement speed on land, they should have been able to dodge that attack easily.
Seeing this, Ye Sheng and Jiu De Aji understood that they would only be a burden here. They immediately fastened the cables Lu Mingfei and Caesar had brought around their waists. As the winch on the Moniyahe retracted, they began retreating from Bronze City along the shattered wall and rising toward the surface.
Inside Bronze City, with the hindrances gone, Lu Mingfei and Caesar could finally fight freely.
Seriously, if I don't ask for monthly tickets and recommendation votes, you really won't give any? Where's our understanding? What about the bond between us, like Sasuke and Naruto? You... you... boo hoo hoo hoo...
Anyway, the new book needs everything!
Before you continue